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Seeking wisdom

#41
Well, you are all giving me great advice and I appreciate it. I think that if I go Fender, it will be a regular American made P bass. I played an few today, and thought that both the p an j Americans were better playing and crafted. I played a used epi pro IV T bird with active pickups and it sounded better than I ever dreamed it could be. GC has one for 350 and I was shocked at how better it is than my regular bolt on one with passives. Now, how do I justify a Gibson at at least 1000? Then there are Ricks, and more to think about.
 
#46
rodv66 said:
I am taking appreciation and resale into account as the biggest consideration.
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rodv66 said:
I wasn't sure how a signature model holds value. I would think you would have to wait until the artist drops dead before it goes up in value.
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rodv66 said:
I don't want to buy a 1000 bass and never being able to sell it, or take a beating on it if I did.
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rodv66 said:
More focused on lessening depreciation now.
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If you want to actually play the bass the biggest consideration should be how it feels and sounds.

As for minimising depreciation, second hand is the very best bet.
 
#48
I really liked the Epi with active pups and thru neck. My only problem is that looks and sound are important, but I can't see under the hood. Labor costs can't be the only thing that gets them to that price point. So, are the pups wound with pure copper, or a cheap copper alloy? What quality metal is used for the bridge and how does that compare with a US made bass? Will I need to replace components because of low quality? As I said, I want something that I will be happy playing with at 60, as I am at 50.
 
#49
If you are planning on buying second hand then maybe you could manage both the P and the Epi pro . Just a thought . I dont think you will need to replace anything on the Epi , too much is focused nowadays on upgrade this and that . Youve tried it and liked it then go for it . Open a decent interest savings account for your son and put in whenever you can . Make it so he or she cant touch it till coming of age and what more can you do . I have four kids and all my kit is low end but sounds great and plays great and as Ive got older Ive realised that yes its nice to own the best of stuff and believe me I have when I was younger and in full time employment (I gave up full time when our fourth child was born) as child care is so expensive , I now look after the house and taxi everyone around so Ive grown to appreciate lower end kit but sticking with things that still look , play and above all sound great .
 
#50
G&L's SB1 or SB2 are a better option for playing than a Fender
don't buy it as an investment
the best investment you can give your kid(s) is teaching them how to save money
an old bass in 20 years isn't going to pull them out of financial dire straits, but knowing how to use their money will

I know people who stand around smoking cigarettes & complaining they're always broke, and complaining about their hangovers as well
well, if you didn't smoke & drink, you might actually save some money
those kinds of things, teach them
 
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#52
Killed_by_Death said:
G&L's SB1 or SB2 are a better option for playing than a Fender
don't buy it as an investment
the best investment you can give your kid(s) is teaching them how to save money
an old bass in 20 years isn't going to pull them out of financial dire straits, but knowing how to use their money will

I know people who stand around smoking cigarettes & complaining they're always broke, and complaining about their hangovers as well
well, if you didn't smoke & drink, you might actually save some money
those kinds of things, teach them
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Lot of good advice, I went sober 25 years ago and my wife was brought up LDS, so we don't even have booze in the house, so hope he doesn't pick up those vices. Worst vice I got is Starbucks.
 
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#53
rodv66 said:
I really liked the Epi with active pups and thru neck. My only problem is that looks and sound are important, but I can't see under the hood. Labor costs can't be the only thing that gets them to that price point. So, are the pups wound with pure copper, or a cheap copper alloy? What quality metal is used for the bridge and how does that compare with a US made bass? Will I need to replace components because of low quality? As I said, I want something that I will be happy playing with at 60, as I am at 50.
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If you go for the Epi, just leave it as-is, it will most likely be fine for a long period of time. And yes, the labour cost is the single most important factor that gets the manufacturers to the price point that we're seeing. If you buy it for $300 or thereabouts, the chances are that it will still be worth as much a decade from now. Maybe even a bit more, although I'd never consider it as an investment piece.

Jeff Scott said:
No one can predict what will be collectible/valuable in 30 to 40 years from now when it comes to a current model instrument.
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While this statement holds true generally speaking for *any* area of life, it's reasonable to presume that certain pieces will appreciate more or depreciate less than others, especially if one has been closely monitoring the business for decades...

My $0.02 only...
 
#54
Joe Nerve said:
After owning everything from a Big Al to a T-Bird and a few custom made basses, and well over a dozen Ps and Js - I bought myself a Ric, and it's become my number one. But that's only the first reason I think you should buy a Ric :).



The above is a more important reason.

You are a talkbass member. I'll assume you therefor know more about basses, their prices, and their value than 80% of the bass players out there (contrary to popular TB belief, it's a very small percentage of bass players that are active TB members). And even being a part of this great community, and being informed - you believe you can't afford a new Rickenbacker, and are willing to pay $1200-1300 for a used one.

A brand new 2016 Rickenbacker 4003 can be easily had for the price you're willing to pay for a used one. Other models you can get for even less.

The vast majority of people buying Rics are willing to pay much more for a used one, than they can get a new one for. The day I bought mine brand new, someone on Talkbass was selling the same exact bass used - for $100 more than I paid new. And I'm pretty sure he sold it.

My train of thought was derailed by a phone call :)... and I'm having a rough time finishing up now here. Anyhow... If you want info on how to get a Ric at that price, I've outlined it a bunch of times before here. I can find it later, or PM you if you're interested. Others here have gotten them even cheaper than me (I paid somewhere around 1300 for mine), so maybe they can help, too.

Anyhow, last thoughts on this - if you check Rickenbacker reviews here, it seems the past 2 years have been EXCELLENT years for Rics. Just about everyone picking a new one up is in love. 20 - 30 years from now I think that's going to count for something. And regarding the bass itself, it is an absolute tone monster, capable of much more than I ever thought it was. You can get the classic Chris Squire tones out of it (tones I never even use on mine), and pretty much any tones you can get with a P or J bass. I've used my Ric in a Zep tribute, and it worked awesomely. A year ago I'd have thought someone insane to bring a Ric to a Zep gig.

Anyhow, that's my take on it. I say Ric.
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